The PhenX Steering Committee is composed of 12 scientists with a range of expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, and genomics research who provide guidance throughout the project. The Steering Committee originally selected and defined 20 research domains that are the focus of the project (Table 1). Through collaboration with the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the NIH, an additional Social Environments domain was added to the PhenX project. A PhenX domain is a field of research with a unifying theme and easily enumerated quantitative and qualitative measures. Domains include Demographics, Anthropometrics, organ systems (e.g., Neurology, Gastrointestinal), complex diseases (e.g., Cancer, Cardiovascular), and lifestyle factors (e.g., Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Substances; Physical Activity and Physical Fitness). Liaisons from the NIH institutes and centers participate in PhenX activities, including nominating Steering Committee and working group members, and are invited to participate in all Steering Committee and working group meetings. The liaisons exchange relevant information with their institutes and centers, help ensure that PhenX is coordinated with related NIH initiatives, and provide additional content expertise.
